Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on implementing the VALOUR pilot scheme in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire Combined Authorities. Work with our pilot partners to develop the VALOUR system is in progress, and I am grateful to them for their invaluable contributions so far.
VALOUR is a new programme that will give veterans across the UK easier access to the essential care and support that is available to them, overseen by the Office for Veterans' Affairs in the Ministry of Defence. It will improve the coordination of services at a national, regional and local level to ensure that veterans receive the support they need.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of defence equipment collaboration between the UK and Germany on levels of investment in (a) infrastructure and (b) innovation in the North West.
Answered by Maria Eagle
Collaboration with Germany on defence equipment will have a positive impact on infrastructure and innovation in the North West. Specifically, recently announced programmes with KNDS UK in Stockport, which build on the existing investment for Bridging, as well as investment in a new manufacturing facility for BOXER, will lead to more than £400 million in total economic benefit. Furthermore, the programmes will support investment in local supply chains and sustain highly skilled jobs. More widely, we are deepening equipment collaboration with Germany through the Trinity House Defence Agreement; this collaboration will lead to further economic benefit across the UK in the longer term.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of replacing retiring Tranche 1 Typhoon aircrafts with foreign-built aircraft on (a) BAE Systems sites at (i) Warton and (ii) Samlesbury and (b) the UK aerospace sector.
Answered by Maria Eagle
The RAF's fleet of Typhoon Tranche 2 and 3 aircraft will remain at the cutting-edge of the UK and NATO Combat Air power until at least 2040. The decision in 2021 to retire our oldest Tranche 1 Typhoon aircraft was independent of the decision to procure Lockheed Martin F-35B, which are required to deliver combat aircraft capable of operating from our Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers.
Around 20,000 people are employed within the UK on the Typhoon programme, which is expected to rise to 24,000 by 2030. The vast majority of those jobs support the maintenance and upgrade of the existing multinational Typhoon fleet. This Government is strongly committed to supporting the export of Typhoon internationally and pressing for success in the campaigns currently in train. 37% of the major units required for new Typhoon aircraft ordered by Germany, Spain and Italy will be manufactured by BAE Systems in the UK.
In addition, through Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office approximately 15% by value of the total global F-35 Lightning production is manufactured by UK companies. This manufacturing and equipment support includes over 100 UK-based suppliers and has created over 20,000 jobs in the UK. As part of this BAE Systems employ approximately 1,800 people on F-35 sub-system production at their UK plant in Samlesbury. The equipment support provided by the UK for the global fleet of F-35 will likely endure until the F-35 retires from service, which is 2069 for the UK fleet and longer for some other nations.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff from his Department are based in India.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
As at 1 July 2023, there were approximately 15 MOD personnel (including UK Regular Forces, FR20 and civilians) stationed in India. Figures have been rounded to the nearest five to prevent inadvertent disclosure.
Figures are based on Service personnel's stationed location and not their location of residence - where personnel work isn't necessarily where they live.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of differences between the pension entitlements of reservists in the Army and reservists in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on retention levels in the Army Reserves.
Answered by Andrew Murrison
All Reserve Forces in the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force who joined from 1 April 2015 are members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) 15.
Pension entitlements are one of a variety of financial incentives offered by the Department to attract and retain Reservists.
Other Departmental financial incentives include a daily pay rate, which increases as Reservists rise through the ranks, paid leave, and an additional annual tax-free bounty received on achieving criteria.
The Department regularly re-evaluates the wider offer made to Reservists, identifying new ways to retain our talented Service people. Currently, for example, the Department is reviewing Reservist training and working to identify further operational opportunities.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trail hunting licenses were approved for use on his Department's land in 2022.
Answered by Alex Chalk
The number of trail hunting licenses approved for use on Ministry of Defence land in 2022 was 21.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to make a decision on the Defence Business Services' workplace programme for the North West.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The full business case will be submitted for approval in May 2022. The result is expected to be announced in early July 2022.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) value for money from his Department's projects and (b) that those projects are completed (i) on time and (ii) within budget.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In line with Treasury Green Book guidance the Department considers a range of options for projects to determine which is the most effective at meeting the Armed Forces' needs whilst offering best value for money.
To ensure value for money is delivered through the life of a project, the Department has invested additional resource to monitor and evaluate cost, time and performance through life and embed a culture of evaluation.
As set out in our Annual Report, we continue to transform the way we do business, driving improvements in the processes and skills required to delivery programmes successfully.
We are setting projects up for success through early consideration of strategic factors, focusing expertise on areas of highest risk and complexity to support robust, evidence-based investment decisions and improve overall project outcomes. We are also improving the resourcing of projects with suitably qualified and experienced people through measures set out in the Department’s Project Delivery Functional Strategy on gov.uk.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what safety assessment his Department undertook of the Ajax tank programme before it was commissioned.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the hon. Member to the written statement (HCWS322) I laid in this House on Monday 18 October 2021, which provided a comprehensive update on the Armoured Cavalry (Ajax) programme including health and safety. The MOD Director of Health, Safety and Environmental Protection report will provide a chronology on key safety decisions and I will publish the report once it is finalised.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procurement process his Department followed for the commissioning of the Ajax tank programme.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Ajax vehicle was selected following a full and open competition in 2010.